Theology Arises From Faith Essay Research Paper

Theology Arises From Faith Essay, Research Paper

“Theology in fact has always and still needs philosophy’s contribution. As a work of critical reason in the light of faith, theology presupposes and requires in all its research a reason formed and educated to concept and argument” (97). Our beliefs and understandings about God stem from theology. Our knowledge comes from those teachings. In this manner, it can then be stated that theology is derived from reasoning. It is man’s attempt to justify what it holds to be true in faith.

As humans grow and begin to experience in greater fullness the reality that exists in the world, the more that they realize how unique they are. With that there is a natural progression to the need to question the very essence of who they are and everything else that lies around them. The study of philosophy then makes its introduction here. Through the use of different forms of reasoning and understanding it seeks to meet the demand for the explanation of the truth behind our faith. This is the desire that drives us to understand who we are better.

Faith is something other than knowledge from a philosophical aspect. Faith relies on the senses and what they perceive. It relies on experience. Philosophy then establishes its function within reason. Faith is an enlightment from God. To believe is to recognize God and the message that he brings. The entire mystery that is God is such a hard concept for the human mind to fully grasp and embrace fully. It is our faith that allows us to believe something. It is what we as humans use to embrace something that we might question, but still makes up a big part of our existence.

Faith, in general, clarifies reason. It helps to liberate reason from any false ideas. It is the best answer that we can get and all of our religious doubts and questions can be answered as best as they can be in this manner. To attempt to reason anything that surrounds us is to take new journeys that are not expected. But it is faith that guides us and ultimately leads us to the right place – to the truth. That truth is God.

Faith is a gift that is given to us by God. It is not based on reason. But, given the nature of our human existence and the unconscious need to challenge and question, there is no way that faith and reason can be separated. And it is the two that unite and come from theology. Reason provokes question and it will always be that way. That’s what being a human is about. We inquire all and seek an answer for it all. We even question our faith constantly.

The situations that we are faced with everyday lead us to this kind of thinking. Theology is the answer and any analysis leads back to it. The union that exists between faith and reason once an answer or explanation is provided, allows us to understand God better. Theology then seeks to correlate the two. It helps us to understand that the two go hand in hand. One justifies the other and vice versa.

“The chief purpose of theology is to provide an understanding of revelation and the content of faith” (115). Theology is concerned with knowing and comprehending the mystery of God and attempting to instill this knowledge in the human mind. We take what we know and we apply it to our lives.